Kael Vane and Erza's faces both changed.
The Magic Dragon, Alazam. He was the target of their SS-Rank mission.
"H-How... He's supposed to be sealed! Why is he out?!"
The king panicked. His plan was to gather his best fighters after the tournament and attack the dragon. But that plan was based on the dragon still being sealed and weak.
Now, he was free. And by the looks of it, he had been free for a while. If he had recovered his full strength, it would be a total disaster for the Sorbear Kingdom.
"A magic dragon? Ala-what?"
The swordsmen on the wall were confused. They had never heard of this dragon. Weren't dragons just legends?
The king stared at the purple-haired man and explained, "The Magic Dragon, Alazam. A dragon from 400 years ago. He was sealed by the Sword Saint, Noah. I can't believe he's broken free."
"A dragon?!"
Everyone stared at the purple-haired man, terrified.
The man raised a finger and waved it. "No, no, no. You got one thing wrong. I wasn't sealed by a mere human. Don't give yourselves so much credit. I was sealed by the Dragon of Sealing, Seris. That human just helped."
The king gritted his teeth. "Mr. Alazam, if a dragon sealed you, then this has nothing to do with us. Sword Saint Noah has been dead for hundreds of years. You can't get revenge on him."
He had wanted to strike the dragon while it was weak. Now, he just wanted to avoid a fight.
"You're right. I can't get revenge on him. But I can get revenge on his country, can't I?" the purple-haired man said with a playful look.
"Besides... I love eating humans."
He licked his lips, his strange eyes sweeping over the crowd. He wasn't looking at people; he was looking at food. A cold shiver ran through everyone.
"Light's Judgment!"
Arthur raised his sword. Magic power gathered, forming a giant golden sword of light.
"Die, dragon!"
He roared and swung the giant sword down.
The light sword cut through the air.
The purple-haired man didn't move. The blade struck him squarely on the head.
BOOM—!
Crack—!
The man's head didn't even have a scratch. Arthur's light sword, however, looked like it had hit something too hard. Cracks raced across it.
Then, Clang—!
The giant light sword shattered.
Arthur's eyes went wide.
"What?!"
"He blocked Arthur's ultimate move... with his head?!"
The purple-haired man grinned. "What are you doing, human?"
Zzzt!
Lightning wrapped around Kray.
"Thunder Roar: Flash!"
BOOM—!
Kray moved at his top speed, slashing at the man's neck.
Crack—!
The man still didn't move. Kray's sword snapped. Kray stared at the broken blade, stunned.
"Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
"Heaven's Wheel: Bladed Circle!"
Erza attacked, sending a storm of swords at the man.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The swords hit, kicking up a huge cloud of smoke.
"Did it work?"
Everyone stared at the smoke.
Soon, the smoke cleared. The purple-haired man was still standing there, completely unharmed.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The man clapped. "Nice, nice. Human magic is so interesting. Watching you all struggle like this is so much fun."
"H-How is this possible?!"
"Why didn't the nine-star swordsmen's attacks work?!"
Everyone was terrified. If their strongest moves didn't work, what could they do?
The king's voice rang out, "Because he's a dragon. Dragons are born with skin too tough to pierce, and they have high resistance to human magic. Our spells can't hurt them. In the old days, any dragon could easily destroy a country."
"Your Majesty!"
The king had come down from the wall and was walking toward them.
"Oh? You know a lot."
"Mr. Alazam, Sword Saint Noah lived 400 years ago. Your grudge is with him. The people here have done nothing to you. Please, spare us."
The purple-haired man grinned. "It looks like you still don't get it. I love eating humans. And humans are delicious."
Shing—!
The king drew his sword, and it burst into flames. "Mr. Alazam, if you don't leave, I will fight you to the death. Even if I can't kill you, I will wound you."
The purple-haired man looked at the sword, then burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
The king's face darkened. "What are you laughing at?"
The man wiped a tear from his eye. "Hahaha! I'm laughing at you! You think you can fight a dragon with a sword made from a Dragon Lacrima?"
"How naive. So naive. Hahaha!"
"Forget a sword. Even if a real dragon showed up, what could it do to me?"
The king wasn't going to be scared off. "Die!"
He charged, swinging the flaming sword.
The purple-haired man just raised his hand.
Clap!
The sword hit his palm. His hand was fine.
"What?!"
"See? Only a Dragon Slayer who has mastered their magic, or a high-level dragon, can hurt me. Humans like you... it doesn't matter how many of you there are. You can't hurt me."
CRACK—!
The man squeezed his hand, and the king's special dragon-slaying sword shattered.
"How...?"
The king was in shock. His greatest weapon was just a joke to a real dragon.
Smack!
The purple-haired man grabbed the king by the throat.
"Let him go!"
Everyone charged, trying to save the king.
The purple-haired man only waved his hand. A giant, claw-shaped slash flew out.
"Aaargh!"
"Waaaaah!"
Everyone who had charged was sent flying. In one hit, most of them were beaten.
Even Erza, Arthur, and Kray were badly wounded. They couldn't fight anymore.
"Damn it!"
Kael Vane's face was grim. He hadn't expected the dragon was already free.
They had just finished a huge battle. Now, no one could fight. And even if they could, it was useless.
It was time for him to make a choice.
He had two gold cards. If he recycled one, the magic power he'd get would be a huge boost.
But which one?
Ulquiorra... his power level was higher. But Yoriichi... after using him, Kael knew how terrifying he was.
He couldn't stand to lose either of them. They were gold cards!
But he was out of time. If the king died, he'd lose everything.
Just as Kael was about to hit "Recycle"...
A system alert popped up.
[Ding! Host has been in this world for one month. Rewarding one free pull!]
[Pull now?]
Kael was stunned, then realized... it was his free monthly pull.
"Pull. Pull. Pull!"
He didn't have his goddess's blessing, but he didn't have time to care.
The animation started. A bright purple star fell from the sky.
Kael's eyes went wide.
"I-It's purple?!"